Israel Begins Ground Raids In Southern Lebanon

Topline

The Israeli Defense Forces began “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids … in southern Lebanon” against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure Monday—escalating the conflict in the Middle East after Israel killed a number of Hezbollah leaders.

Key Facts

The IDF announced the raids “a few hours” after they began, according to a post on X just after 7 p.m. EDT, and the military clarified the operations were “approved and carried out in accordance with the decision of the political echelon.”

The Israeli Air Force and Artillery will also conduct “precise strikes on military targets,” the post said.

The ground action will be smaller than Israel’s last against Hezbollah in 2006, a U.S. official told The Washington Post, and will reportedly focus on clearing out militant infrastructure on Lebanon’s southern border to protect communities in northern Israel.

At around 1:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, CNN reported there were about 100 Israeli military vehicles around five miles from the Lebanon border.

Why Is Israel Attacking Lebanon?

On Sept. 16, Israel’s Security Cabinet updated its objectives of war to include “returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” and warned it would continue to act to achieve the goal. Around 60,000 residents of northern Israel communities have been displaced following Lebanon-based Hezbollah attacks that began on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and have continued since, The New York Times reported. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the only way to achieve the goal was “via military action,” NBC News reported.

Chief Critic

President Joe Biden said earlier Monday he was “more aware than you might know” of Israel’s plans to launch a ground operation, and said he’s “comfortable with them stopping,” calling for a cease-fire. The Biden administration had been discouraging Israel from invading Lebanon, Axios reported, and has privately expressed concern that doing so could increase support for Hezbollah among Lebanese people.

Key Background

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated recently, leading to heightened concerns about the war expanding into a broader Middle East conflict. Israel has spent recent weeks targeting southern Lebanon and Beirut, attempting to “strike and eliminate” Hezbollah leadership. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched strikes into Israel. Israel recently blew up pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, injuring thousands of people and killing at least 32, and increased its bombings and strikes in Lebanon. The U.S. has warned Israel against escalating its fighting in Lebanon, though State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday the U.S. was aware of Israel’s “limited operations” and he said “military pressure can at times enable diplomacy.” Miller said the U.S. still supports a cease-fire, and a 21-day cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that was presented last week is still on the table.

Tangent

On Saturday, the IDF announced it killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was “not just another terrorist, he was the terrorist.” On Sunday, the IDF announced the death of Nabil Kaouk, commander of Hezbollah’s preventative security unit, whose death marked the seventh death of a Hezbollah leader in a little more than a week, the Associated Press reported.

Further Reading